Location and landscape
Bar-sur-Seine is a commune in the Aube department in the Grand Est region and lies to the south-east of Troyes in the Côte des Bar, the southernmost wine-growing area of Champagne. The commune is considered the gateway to this wine-growing region. The landscape is hilly and is traversed by several valleys; the vineyards also include steep hillside sites.
Climate and soils
Wine-growing in the Côte des Bar is shaped by an oceanic-continental climate. For Champagne, an average annual temperature of about 11 °C is given. Around Bar-sur-Seine, Kimmeridgian limestone as well as marl-limestone occur, with alternating layers of marl and limestone. The clayey-limestone subsoil differs from the chalk-dominated areas in the north of Champagne.
Viticulture and wines
Bar-sur-Seine belongs to the Côte des Bar wine-growing area, in which Pinot Noir is the predominant grape variety. The winery associated with Bar-sur-Seine, Champagne Domaine La Borderie, also cultivates Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc. Documented wines from the winery include Champagne Blanc de Noirs, Rosé Champagne, as well as red and white Coteaux Champenois. For the cuvée Trois Contrées, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc are combined; the Pinot Noir comes partly from the Val Moré parcel in Bar-sur-Seine.
History and wine law
Bar-sur-Seine has been documented for its market fairs since the 12th century, and developed further economically in the 16th and 17th centuries. The commune is included in the legal registers of the Champagne wine-growing region. For Champagne wines, requirements apply, among other things, under which the grapes must come from vines from the third year of growth; the maximum row spacing is 1.5 metres, the minimum distance between the vines is 0.9 metres.
